Call routing from first to second dialog of interactive voice response system

ABSTRACT

A customer service call system that provides both manual (assisted by a service representative) and automated problem solving dialogs. A routing process determines which dialog is appropriate for incoming calls. The routing process determines a probability that the automated system will resolve the problem and also determines an expected hold time for the customer to reach the manual dialog. The routing process uses this information to determine how the call should be routed.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/948,507, filed on Sep. 23, 2004 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,120,244. which isa continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/190,145, filedJul. 5, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,807,274, both of which areincorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to interactive voice response systems forproviding customer service, and more particularly to a method forrouting calls from manual to automated dialogs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A business or company that provides services and/or products to clientsor customers may provide their customers with customer service in theform of a customer service center that handles customer requests.Customer requests may comprise requesting new products or services,getting support for a product or service, asking questions about aproduct or service, etc. In non-automated systems, when a customer callsthe service center with a request, the service center manually routesthe call to an agent that services the customer's request.

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems are systems that provideinformation in the form of recorded messages over telephone lines inresponse to customer input in the form of spoken words or touch tonesignaling. Examples of IVR systems are those implemented by banks, whichallow customers to check their balances from any telephone, and systemsfor providing automated stock quotes.

IVR may be used to both to acquire information from, or enter data into,a database. For example, banks and credit card companies use IVR systemsso that their customers can receive up-to-date account informationinstantly and easily without having to speak directly to a person. AnIVR system may also be used to gather information. For example, an IVRtelephone survey might prompt the customer to answer questions bypushing the numbers on a touch-tone telephone.

When fully implemented, an IVR system does not require human interactionover the telephone. The customer's interaction with the database ispredetermined by the extent to which the IVR system will allow thecustomer access to the data.

IVR systems have been successful because they generate significant costsavings due to the ability to route calls to the appropriate call centerwithout having to incur the cost of a service representative toaccomplish the routing. Once the call is routed, subsequent dialog withthe customer could be additional IVR dialog or it could be assisted by aservice representative. Thus, a given customer service task could bepartly implemented with IVR and partly with human assistance.

The absence of a service representative can sometimes be frustrating tothe customer, such as when an IVR system simply provides recordedanswers that assume the customer has already correctly diagnosed aproblem. On the other hand, although non-automated systems do provide alive service representative, customers can become frustrated if they arerequired to be put on hold to wait for service.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a partially automated customer service dialog.

FIG. 2 illustrates a fully automated customer service dialog.

FIG. 3 illustrates the aggregated responses of customers when queriedhow long they would wait for service representative, given analternative to attempt an automated problem solving system.

FIG. 4 illustrates a method of routing calls from a partially to a fullyautomated problem solving system in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a customer service call system having a routing unitin accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following description is directed to a method of overcoming thelimitations of existing IVR systems. For purposes of the followingdescription, “automated” dialogs are those that are implemented usingIVR technology, typically in the form of recorded menu type selectionsbut may be in the form of any type of prompt for interactive customerresponses. The customer responses may be by touch tone, by voicerecognition, TTY, some other type of telephone key pad, or somecombination of these.

The method provides a customer service call system with two alternativedialogs; one partially automated and partially manual and the otherfully automated. A customer who places a call to a call center begins atthe partially automated dialog. When appropriate, the customer's call isrouted from the partially automated dialog to the fully automateddialog. In this manner, the system balances the advantages anddisadvantages IVR-implemented customer service call-centers.

Specifically, the method described herein provides customers with anIVR-type problem detection dialog with the opportunity to speak with aservice representative for help in diagnosing and resolving the problem.However, the method also addresses the objections of customers toremaining in queues for long hold times by determining when they may bebetter served by an automated system.

For purposes of this description, customer service tasks are presentedto call centers, with the customer initiating the call by telephone.Each task is deemed a “problem” to be solved, with the problem solvinghaving three phases: detection, diagnosis, and resolution.

FIG. 1 illustrates a problem solving system 10, which is partiallyIVR-implemented. Specifically, problem detection is presented as anIVR-implemented dialog. That is, the customer identifies the problem tobe solved from a menu of items. However, the diagnosis and problemresolution dialogs of system 10 are “manual”, in the sense that once thespecific problem is detected, a service representative (SR) is broughton-line to assist the customer with diagnosis and resolution of theproblem.

In other words, system 10 requires the customer to detect a problem,then report the problem to a service representative who is trained indiagnosing the problem. The problem detection is IVR implemented in thesense that the customer responds to a menu type list of choices, byusing either touch tone or voice responses. During the subsequentdialog, which is manual, the service representative asks the customerappropriate questions to aid in the diagnosis and to determine thesolution.

FIG. 2 illustrates a problem solving system 20 that is fully IVRimplemented. The entire dialog of system 20 aids the customer in problemdetection and diagnosis without any assistance from a servicerepresentative. System 20 incorporates a set of diagnostic questions,which assist the customer in mapping a detected problem to a solution.Thus, system 20 requires the customer to detect and diagnose the problemby answering queries. The queries can be in a “tree” type format, withthe response to any particular question determining which query is tofollow.

The diagnostic questions of system 20 are developed using the followingprinciples. First, the questions are designed to permit the customer tosuccessfully complete the task. Second, each question has an appropriatelevel of readability and comprehension. Third, the questions must be twosentences or less, and contain three instructions or less. Fourth, thequestions must provide pause, repeat, backup, opt out, and get summaryfunctionality.

FIG. 3 illustrates a hold time function, derived from customer responsesto a survey type query. As indicated above, one problem with manualsystems, such as the manual dialog of system 10, is that customers mayexperience long hold times. FIG. 3 illustrates the hold time that acustomer will willingly endure before speaking to a customer servicerepresentative, given the alternative of using an automated system, suchas system 20. As illustrated, the more likely the automated system is toprovide a solution, the less time the customer is willing to wait for acustomer service representative. As explained below, FIG. 3 represents a“wait or switch” function, which may be used to determine when actualcalls should be routed from a manual dialog to an automated dialog.

As an example of how the data of FIG. 3 might be obtained, a customersurvey could be conducted. A sample group of customers might bepresented with the following scenario: “You've called your InternetService Provider to get help because you can't connect to the Internet.You've been put on hold and an announcement says you can either opt outto an automated problem solving system or you can wait to speak with acustomer service representative. There is an [n]% chance that the APScould solve your problem. How long would you be willing to wait for aservice representative before using the automated system?”

FIG. 4 illustrates how the customer survey data of FIG. 3 may be used todevelop a call-routing method, which permits a customer's call to berouted from a manual dialog, such as that of system 10, to an automateddialog, such as that of system 20. As explained below, the routingdecision is based on two factors: an expected hold time for the manualdialog, and the probability that the automated dialog will resolve thecustomer's problem.

For a given call, the expected hold time and the probability of successare quantified and integrated into an algorithm, which provides an indexvalue for the call. The index value is compared to a threshold value.Depending on the result of the comparison, the call is then left withthe manual system 10 or routed to an automated system 20. Alternatively,instead of the customer's call being automatically routed, the customercould be asked to choose whether he or she desires to wait for a servicerepresentative or to use the automated system.

Referring to the specific steps of FIG. 4, Step 41 is determining thetask to be performed for the customer. In the system 10 of FIG. 1, taskidentification is accomplished when the customer selects a menu optionat the outset of the IVR problem detection dialog. In other embodiments,Step 41 could be performed using a live service representative whointeracts with the customer to determine the nature of the problem.

Step 42 determines the probability that the detected task can besuccessfully resolved by the automated system 20. For this step, it isassumed that some basis exists for determining this probability, such asstatistical data representing past calls and success rates. The taskidentification information is the subject of a database lookup todetermine the probability that the customer will receive a satisfactoryresolution from the automated system. Step 43 is determining theexpected hold time for the customer. This may be accomplished byquerying the call center queue size.

Step 44 is using the probability of success value (determined in Step42) and the expected hold time value (determined in Step 43) tocalculate a customer wait index. The following equation is an example ofhow these two values may be used in this manner:Wait Index=HT+74.6 PS−44 PS ²−33.25,where HT is the expected hold time in minutes and PS is the probabilityof solution.

The above function is derived from customer preference data, such thedata illustrated in FIG. 3. For example, the curve of FIG. 3 can befitted to an equation that best matches the curve, resulting in afunction such as that set out above.

Step 45 is comparing the Wait Index to a threshold value. A threshold of0 indicates that the current hold time (HT) and the current probabilityof solution (PS) values both match predetermined customer expectancies.

Step 46 is routing the call based on the result of the comparison.Positive values of the Wait Index indicate that a combination of HT andPS are greater than the threshold. In this case, the call isautomatically routed to the automated system. Negative values of theWait Index indicate that the combination of HT and PS are less than thethreshold. In this case, the customer remains in the manual dialog queueto speak to a service representative. In either case, the customer mayalternatively be queried to determine if he or she would like to berouted to the automated system.

The following example illustrates how the above-described method worksfor a call with HT=10 and PS=0.50.

$\begin{matrix}{{{Wait}{\mspace{11mu}\;}{Index}} = {10 + {74.6({.5})} - {44({.5})^{2}} - 33.25}} \\{= {10 + 37.3 - 11 - 33.25}} \\{= 3.05}\end{matrix}$This positive value results in the call being routed to the automatedsystem, or the customer being queried about remaining in the queue.

The following example illustrates how the method works for a call withHT=1 and PS=0.50.

$\begin{matrix}{{{Wait}{\mspace{11mu}\;}{Index}} = {1 + {74.6({.5})} - {44({.5})^{2}} - 33.25}} \\{= {1 + 37.3 - 11 - 33.25}} \\{= {- 5.95}}\end{matrix}$This negative value results in the call remaining in the queue or thecustomer being queried about opting for the automated system.

In accordance with the above-described method, when hold times do notmeet customer expectancies, customers may be automatically routed to anautomated problem system 20, which can assist in problem diagnosis. Theuse of the wait index, with thresholds based on customer data may alsobe used to give the customer control over the decision to opt for theautomated system.

FIG. 5 represents a customer call center system in accordance with theinvention. The customer initially interacts with an IVR problemdetection dialog 51, such as the detection dialog of FIG. 1. In otherembodiments, dialog 51 could be a manual dialog, in which the customerinteracts with a service representative. Once the task to be solved isdetermined, a routing unit 52 is programmed to calculate a wait index,compare the index to a threshold, and obtain a routing decision, asdescribed above in connection with FIG. 4. Depending on the routingdecision, the call is routed to the manual system 53 where the customerinteracts with a live service representative or to the automated system54 where the customer interacts with an IVR dialog. It is assumed thateach of the elements of FIG. 5 is implemented with appropriate hardwareand software. The routing unit is implemented with computer programmingand databases appropriate for performing the above described functions.Suitable implementations of the various dialogs are known in the art orcapable of being developed.

OTHER EMBODIMENTS

Although the present invention has been described in detail, it shouldbe understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations canbe made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claims.

1. A method of handling a call from a caller, comprising: detecting atask; assigning to the task a probability indicative of an estimate ofthe likelihood of completing the task via an automated system; assigningto the task a hold time indicative of an estimate of a duration until acustomer service representative is available to talk to the caller; androuting the call either to an automated system or to a customer servicerepresentative based on a combination of the probability and the holdtime.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting is performed bythe customer's selection from an interactive voice response menu.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein said assigning of said probability isperformed by accessing data that is representative of previous calls. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein said assigning of said hold time isperformed by accessing data representing a current queue of the callsystem.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein said routing comprises routingthe call to the automated system based on data indicative of hold timethresholds for various values of said probability.
 6. The method ofclaim 5, wherein said data comprises caller survey data.
 7. The methodof claim 5, wherein said routing comprises routing the call to theautomated system when said hold time exceeds said hold time thresholdfor said probability.
 8. A call handling system, comprising: a taskdetector operable to identify a task associated with a call from acaller; and a call router operable to: index a probability databaseusing the identified task to retrieve a probability associated with theidentified task; estimate a hold time; and route the call to one of atleast two call handling resources based on said probability and saidhold time.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein said probability isindicative of a probability of successfully resolving the identifiedtask via a first call handling system.
 10. The system of claim 9,wherein the first call handling system is an interactive voice responsecall handling system.
 11. The system of claim 8, wherein the taskdetector is an interactive voice response task detector.
 12. The systemof claim 8, further comprising a first database, accessible by therouting unit including data indicative of past handling of calls via afirst of the at least two call handling resources.
 13. The system ofclaim 8, wherein the routing unit predicts the hold time by accessingdata representing a current queue of the call system.
 14. The system ofclaim 8, wherein the routing unit automatically routes the call.
 15. Thesystem of claim 8, wherein the routing unit queries the caller to accepta proposed routing decision.
 16. A routing system for customer servicesystem, which has alternative manual and automated dialogs for solvingcustomer problems, comprising.
 17. A service, comprising: enabling acall center to determine a task associated with an incoming call from acaller; enabling the call center to estimate a probability ofsuccessfully completing the task via an automated call handling moduleand to estimate a hold time associated with an customer servicerepresentative (CSR)-based module; and enabling the call center to routethe call to either the automated call handling module or to theCSR-based module based on the estimated probability and the estimatedhold time.
 18. The service of claim 17, wherein said enabling said callcenter to determine comprises enabling said call center to determinesaid task from the caller's response to an interactive voice responsemenu.
 19. The service of claim 17, wherein said enabling said callcenter to estimate said probability includes enabling said call centerto estimate said probability by accessing data indicative of success ofprevious calls.
 20. The service of claim 17, wherein said enabling saidcall center to estimate said hold time includes enabling said callcenter to access data representing a current queue of the call system.21. The service of claim 17, wherein enabling said caller center to routcomprises enabling the call center to rout to the automated callhandling module, based on data indicative of hold time thresholds forvarious values of said probability, when a hold time exceeds a hold timethreshold corresponding to said probability.